


The Stars Lean In A Little Closer All Because Of You

by Lilsciencequeen



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Mother's Day, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, mama may
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 12:24:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13951491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilsciencequeen/pseuds/Lilsciencequeen
Summary: “Congratulations,” May told her from her place in the doorway, leaning heavily against the frame. There was a smile on her face, one that reached her eyes.“Thank you,” Jemma whispered back, turning her attention back to her daughter, who now seemed to be finished feeding. After adjusting her top, she reached over, and stroked her daughter’s head with a finger, the very first wisps of hair starting to appear. It was a simple tender moment before beginning to wind her baby, rubbing gently on Peggy’s back.// In which May and Jemma have some bonding time and May makes a promise.





	The Stars Lean In A Little Closer All Because Of You

**Author's Note:**

> This was suppose to go up last night but since A03 was down, it never went up.
> 
> Spoilers for 5x12.
> 
> Title from Atlas: Daughter by SAL, I highly recommend listening to it for this fic.

“Congratulations,” May told her from her place in the doorway, leaning heavily against the frame. There was a smile on her face, one that reached her eyes.

“Thank you,” Jemma whispered back, turning her attention back to her daughter, who now seemed to be finished feeding. After adjusting her top, she reached over, and stroked her daughter’s head with a finger, the very first wisps of hair starting to appear. It was a simple tender moment before beginning to wind her baby, rubbing gently on Peggy’s back.

May didn’t speak during this, just watched this surprisingly intimate moment from the doorway, Jemma’s soft whisper drifting to her as she spoke to her daughter. After a number of minutes, a soft hiccup sound occurred, and the smile on Jemma’s face somehow seemed to grow larger, something that May didn’t think was possible. She adjusted Peggy in her arms, so that that girl was now facing her mother, stretching her arms, her hands clenched into tiny fists. She was in a yellow and brown striped all-in-one, with monkeys on the front, something that Fitz had gotten her, and Jemma was sitting under blankets on the bed, an old tartan nightshirt hanging off her shoulder.  “Aren’t you such a clever girl,” she cooed and wiped at her daughter’s face, cleaning the milk that had been brought up. Once the milk was cleaned up, she ran the back of her fingers down her daughter’s cheek, taking her in, and May could tell that Jemma didn’t want to look away, to give away any moment of this. And May wasn’t going to let her. The girl had suffered so much, and here she was; with her daughter, at the beginning of parenthood, and the next great adventure in her life.

May couldn’t help but smile, feeling her heart constrict at what was happening. Jemma had taken to motherhood extremely well, she seemed a natural at it. She remembered all those months ago when Jemma had come to her in a panic, weeks after she had married Fitz, saying that she was pregnant. The words had come out in a rush, crashing into one another, and she seemed terrified. They had still been in the Lighthouse then (in fact, they still were, each day they spent there inching closer to the end of the world, the future one that the team, Fitz especially, didn’t want. He didn’t want the world to end out, not when everything was just beginning for him and Jemma).

May had sat her down when that had happened, taking the younger woman’s hands in one of her own and giving it a reassuring squeeze before passing Jemma a tissue over to wipe away her tears. “Have you told Fitz yet?” May had asked, and Jemma had shaken her head.

“No, not yet.” Her head shake had been furious, and if anything, the question just seemed to panic her more.

“Why?” The single word had been May’s response, she had kept her tone cool and collected, knowing that it would be of benefit to Jemma too, knowing that if she panicked, the Brit would panic more.

A shrug from the Jemma. “I don’t… I’m terrified May. Being pregnant, it’s what we want more than anything else, a family together, but right now… I don’t… I don’t know.” She had begun to start to get upset at this point again, so May had just wrapped her in her arms, allowing Jemma to sob into her shoulder. And once she had allowed herself to cry, to come to terms with all that was happening. They had then worked through a plan, working out what to tell Fitz, how to tell Fitz, and soon, he knew that his wife was pregnant, that they were due to be parents.

He had been excited, nearly as scared as Jemma had been, but excited nonetheless. And together, as a team, as a _family_ , they had worked through everything, they were still working through everything, how to save the world.

And as for Jemma’s pregnancy, and her birth for that matter, both had gone extremely well. The actual birth in the end had been a caesarean, not the way Jemma had originally planned, but the way Bobbi and the medical team had decided was the best. Both mum and baby had been healthy following the birth, and now, a handful of days after birth, both Mum and baby were still doing extremely well.

“You can come in,” Jemma said, looking up. Peggy was resting in her arms, and Jemma was rocking her back and forth, as if trying to get her to sleep. “It’s okay,” she continued when May didn’t move and eventually, May pushed herself away from the doorframe and entered the room, taking the chair beside the bed that Fitz always occupied when he was here, and not curled up in the bed with Jemma. “I would offer to let you hold her, but she’s just settling.” Jemma looked down at her daughter, already beginning to fall asleep in her arms.

May didn’t reply for a moment, just watched the other woman, one that she had grown to know and love extremely well over the years, a woman she would class as a daughter of her own. She watched as Jemma smiled down at her daughter, cooing as she fell asleep, watching the moment, taking it in, seemingly forgetting that May was there for a moment. Not that May cared, witnessing this moment, she felt extremely privileged. She had never seen Jemma as happy as this, her eyes had such love in them, and there was always a smile on her face whenever Peggy was close by.

“It’s okay,” May said, her voice dropping, she didn’t want to undo any of Jemma’s work in settling Peggy, not that there was a lot to be done. She was a calm and peaceful baby but also so very inquisitive even at such at young age, truly a mixture of both her parents. “I wouldn’t want to disturb her.”

Jemma nodded at her, before leaning back against the pillows. She was still in the medical bay and had been in the days that had followed since she had given birth, Bobbi not wanting to discharge her yet as she recovered from her caesarean. Everything was fine, it truly was, but Bobbi was just being overly cautious. “I just…” Jemma began, shaking her head.

“What?” May prompted, wanting Jemma but knowing what she was already going to say.

“I can’t believe this is happening. That we have a daughter. That we’re starting a family together. It’s everything that…” she was lost for words, and May reached over, placing a hand on the blankets that covered Jemma’s leg. She ran her fingers back and forward, in a reassuring manner and Jemma’s eyes dropped to May’s hand, taking in this moment. It caused her heart to skip a beat, this tender moment, as if it were two mothers sharing a moment alone together.

“It’s what you and Fitz deserve, you’ve two suffered so much. You deserve this, your happiness. Your family together, just not here Jemma, and I promise you that you’re not going to stay here forever, that your daughter isn’t going to be raised here.”

Jemma nodded, taking in May’s words. “I just… I… me and Fitz, we want the best for her.” And May knew what Jemma was saying, that she wanted to move to Scotland, to Perthshire with Fitz and her daughter. They had discussed it, in fact, Fitz had looked into a cottage, even speaking to the owners about a viewing, but in the end, everything had fallen through. It was too dangerous to move, and Jemma had been heartbroken, and May had witnessed that moment, witnessed Fitz promising her and their unborn child at this point that that would come to occur, one day.

“And she’ll have the best, with you and Fitz as her parents.” The way that May spoke it, it was a promise, it was a vow. It was something she was going to allow to come to light, something she was going to ensure that happened, no matter what. “And speaking of Fitz, where is he?”

Despite the team being well aware that her and Fitz were together, despite them having been together, _married_ for over half a year at this point, she still blushed, red burning across her cheeks. “He’s went out with Hunter, I was… I was hungry and there was nothing on base that I wanted.”

“Didn’t your cravings end months ago with the pickles and strawberries?” May raised a knowing eyebrow, teasing Jemma, who’s cheeks only seemed to blush a deeper shade of red.

Jemma nodded, her lips flicking up into a knowing smile, and her eyes twinkled with mischief. “He doesn’t have to know that.”

But May was well aware that Fitz knew that, and she knew that Jemma knew that too. But she also knew that Fitz would do anything for Jemma, he had defied space/time for her on multiple occasions, so what was a quick run to the grocery store?

“How long has he been gone?”

Jemma cast a glace at the clock on the wall. “He should be back soon.” She sighed, as if she wanted nothing more than for Fitz to return. And moments later he did, the Scotsman coming jogging down the corridor, and stopped in the doorway when he saw May in the room with her, but she shook her head, and stood up, allowing Fitz to have the seat, and he didn’t even need to be asked to take it. He slid into with ease, and pulled it close to Jemma’s bed, reaching over and accepting Peggy after setting the bag he had with him down beside her.

“I was just leaving,” May said. “But really, congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Fitz replied, casting a quick glance at her before turning his attention back to more important matters, his daughter, who was getting restless in his arms. He began to soothe her, speaking softly under his breath, speaking in a language that she didn’t understand. She wondered if it was Gaelic, knowing that he was able to speak it, and her lips ticked up once more at the thought of it. Jemma seemed smitten by the whole thing too, as she was wiping at her eyes, once more fighting tears that threatened to spill. But not tears of sadness, for which May was thankful, but tears of happiness, of joy, and the bag of food now lay abandoned beside her, as she reached over, cupping Fitz’s face with a hand, and rubbing at his cheek with her thumb.

She nodded at them once, not sure if the gesture was seen, before making her way to the doorway once more, but before she left she cast once last glance at them, taking in the just how simple the moment was, just how peaceful and blissful and domestic it was.

And she made a silent vow to herself that she wasn’t going to let anything, or anyone, harm them. Not again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much, I hope you enjoyed this!


End file.
